In 2014 Tavistock House Day Nursery Ltd were given the go-ahead to turn a former boxing club in Hetton,
Sunderland into a new pre-school nursery.
At Hetton House Day Nursery they believe that the early years in a child’s life are very important. Ensuring that
the children and staff would have a safe and comfortable environment that would be fit for purpose would be at
the forefront of their planning, which would of course include the best quality flooring possible. The installation
would be done by Tyne and Weir-based Aiken Flooring Contracts Ltd, with the final choice of products falling
to international flooring and interiors specialist Gerflor, who would supply 513m2 of their hugely popular Taralay Impression Control and Tarasafe Ultra products.
With more than 70 years’ experience of innovation driven by investment, Gerflor specialise in early year’s
education, offering solutions combining technical performance and design characteristics for any room within
the facility.
After some forty-five years in the flooring industry, John Aiken, MD of Aiken Flooring Contracts Ltd finally hung
up his samples and handed the mantle over to Steve Dixon who had been working for him for twenty-seven
years. It’s a lengthy period of experience dedicated to providing quality that would bode well for the Hetton
House Day Nursery. At Aiken Flooring Contracts (AFC) they have an impressive forty-three years of experience
in the industry, they are CHAS accredited and are members of Constructionline.
Steve Dixon, Director, AFC commented, “We had worked with the Tavistock Nursery in the past in their
Sunderland Nursery and they approached us for advice on the specification for this project. Overall, the project
went really well, the building team that were working on the job with, were great which helped us complete on
time”. Steve went on to further comment, “We specified Gerflor Taralay Impression Control as it offered the
perfect combination of durability, slip resistance and a realistic wood effect. It really is a lovely product to work
with”.
The Taralay Impression Control safety flooring collection from Gerflor is perfect for both refurbishments and
new build. A multi-purpose floorcovering available in 2m sheet format with a Group T wear rating, is ideal for
a host of heavy traffic environments where slip resistance is a must. Available as a dual collection: - ‘Safety
in Wood’ and ‘Safety in Design’, the range includes realistic woods in contemporary colours and modern all
over designs. Exceptionally hardwearing and easy to clean and maintain thanks to Protecsol® Control surface
treatment, this flooring is more than suitable for hardworking and inspiring spaces. No wax is required and it is
100% recyclable. It’s all about providing inspiration and a tough safety flooring that offers slip resistance, looks
fantastic and provides outstanding performance. Pendulum Test value +36 meets HSE guidelines (BS 7976-2)
and R11 ramp test value (DIN 51130).
Steve Dixon went on to add, “We had used Tarasafe from Gerflor for many years and Taralay Impression
Control once or twice as it was a relatively new product and we liked the product. We have gone on to specify
both product ranges for many other projects”.
The Tarasafe™ Ultra range is a specialist slip-resistant vinyl safety flooring. A product that’s inlaid with mineral
crystals particles, as opposed to industry standard carborundum giving a brighter appearance. It also comes
with a tough PVC wearlayer and meets HSE guidelines. Tarasafe™ Ultra is reinforced with a glass fibre grid
and is suitable for use in all areas of heavy traffic where slip-resistance, durability and hygienic conditions are
required. Benefiting from Sparclean® surface treatment for extreme resistance to soiling and staining it is also
treated with an anti-bacterial and fungicidal treatment. Tarasafe™ Ultra comes with a 12-year warranty and is
also 100% recyclable.
Steve Dixon ends by saying, “We have had great feedback on the Gerflor products as they are really easy to
install. Many contractors know that fitters can be a hard bunch to please. Gerflor have been fantastic to work
with and offered great services and technical support with the Hetton House Day Nursey project”.
Learn more about Gerflor solutions, ask for a free sample or contact us to speak to a specialist today by calling
01926 622 600, emailing contractuk@gerflor.com, or visiting gerflor.co.uk for the latest innovations.
